One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “What is the difference between Tai Chi vs. Qigong?” My short answer is that they are mostly the same. Tai chi originated from Qigong and can therefore be thought of as a form of it. Of course, they aren’t exactly the same or they wouldn’t have… Read more »
Roots run deep The idea of rooting oneself is important in Tai Chi and Qigong. Stated simply, your root is your ability to sense your connection to the ground. It is the foundation upon which you build your practice. “You must sink your chi,” says every teacher/website/book on Tai Chi and Qigong. Developing root is one… Read more »
Tai Chi Chuan is sometimes referred to as Thirteen postures or “Thirteen patterns”, these patterns include “Eight Jin Patterns,” also called the “Eight Doors” and five foot work patterns referred to as the “Five Strategic Stepping patterns”. According to the Tai Chi Chuan classics the eight Jin patterns are related to the eight trigrams (BaGua)… Read more »
There are thousands of people teaching tai chi and tai chi push hands around the world. Personally, I have trained with many teachers here in the states as well as teachers in China. I have found that even with the “Masters” there are few who really have a good understanding of how to apply the… Read more »
The Yang family first became involved in the study of tai chi chuan in the early 1800s. The founder of the Yang style tai chi was Yang Lu-ch’an, aka Yang Fu-k’ui (1799-1872), who studied under Ch’en Chang-hsing starting in 1820. Yang became a teacher in his own right, and his subsequent expression of tai chi… Read more »
If you are considering enrolling in Tai Chi for beginners classes at one of your local gyms or dojos, you are going to be embarking on what can be a lifetime journey towards good health, both physical and mental as well as learning an ancient Chinese martial art. However, as with any new adventure you… Read more »
For most of us reaching our senior years means a time to retire and relax, this is the time in our lives when we start to slow down and for many it becomes a very challenging time as a number of different medical conditions such as arthritis begin to emerge. It can also mean reaching… Read more »
If you believe what you read, you have probably noticed that more information regarding the use of Tai Chi for diabetes patients as a form of therapy keeps coming to light. While Tai Chi is undoubtedly an ancient Chinese martial art, the Chinese have long known that regular practice offers an amazing array of health… Read more »
The incidences of cancer in all of its various forms has been on the rise for years, the more modernized our society has become; the more we are exposed to an unlimited number of carcinogens and toxic substances. But despite all of this, the medical community is still using a number of treatments to ease… Read more »
If someone were to tell you that there is a form of exercise that you can perform in ten square feet and that only takes twenty minutes a day, yet can greatly improve your health, what would you say? Going one step further if they were to tell you that this program of exercise does… Read more »
-Becca, A happy new member of our Qigong and Tai Chi community
